Eager runners and spectators lined Pittsburgh’s streets Sunday morning to watch as the Pittsburgh Marathon returned after a COVID-19 hiatus.
Álvaro Abreu won the men’s marathon with a time of 2:16:07, while former WPIAL standout Nicole Hilton, of South Fayette, took first in the women’s race with a time of 2:49:49.
••• Click here for top finishers and full results in the marathon, half marathon, relay and handcycle marathon •••
Congratulations to our male @dickssportinggoods Pittsburgh Marathon Finisher, Álvaro Abreu! #MOVEPittsburgh pic.twitter.com/5PW7esCENp
— Pittsburgh Marathon (@PGHMarathon) May 1, 2022
And how bout this! A Pittsburgher wins womens Pittsburgh Marathon.
— Mike White (@mwhiteburgh) May 1, 2022
South Fayette’s Nicole Hilton. Former WPIAL standout. pic.twitter.com/4uhFjsUqqw
A damp forecast greeted runners, with rain coming down at points throughout the morning and the threat of storms looming over the region all day.
A minor hiccup kicked off the race when the inflatable starting line deflated a few minutes prior to race start.
But soon after, the inflatable gate was blown back up, and the runners were off.
Sunday’s race marked the first in-person Pittsburgh Marathon since 2019. The race was canceled in 2020 as the pandemic gripped the country, and it was run as a virtual race in 2021.
Runners crowded together along Liberty Avenue as they prepared to take off around 7 a.m.
In 2019, 3,422 people finished the full marathon, 11,745 completed the half marathon and some 6,000 participated on about 1,000 relay teams, according to results on the marathon’s website. Thousands more spectators lined the streets to cheer them on.
Among the runners taking to the city’s streets is Aliphine Tuliamuk, who competed in the Olympics in August. A unique group, the “Sole Survivors,” is also keeping its streak of competing in every Pittsburgh Marathon since its inception in 1985.
Birds eye view on the Pittsburgh Marathon @PGHMarathon … the sun is up and participants are starting to fill up Liberty Ave. pic.twitter.com/jOXn5EbkZG
— Stephanie Strasburg (@StephStrasburg) May 1, 2022
UPMC said in a tweet Sunday afternoon that 76 race participants were treated at medical tents. Eight of those people were transported to hospitals for further treatment.
Sunday’s race coincided with two other major events in the city: University of Pittsburgh commencement and a Pirates game. City officials warned of detours and road closures that would snarl city traffic for several hours.
The marathon’s course took runners from Liberty Avenue in Downtown through the Strip District, across the Allegheny River to the North Side, and across the Ohio River into the West End, the South Shore and then the South Side. After crossing the Monongahela via the Birmingham Bridge, participants in the full marathon headed east toward Oakland, while half-marathon runners headed back into Downtown via Fifth Avenue to finish.
Made it over to Highland Park. Different feel over here than the North Side. Cool neighborhood vibes: pic.twitter.com/zEsziABeu2
— Jason Mackey (@JMackeyPG) May 1, 2022
The rest of the full marathon took runners across the city’s East End through Oakland, Shadyside and Point Breeze before they turned around in Homewood and head back toward Downtown. The final stretch sent participants through Highland Park, East Liberty and Bloomfield before they followed Liberty Avenue through Lawrenceville and then nearly all the way to the finish line along the Boulevard of the Allies.
First Published: May 1, 2022, 12:04 p.m.
Updated: May 1, 2022, 2:35 p.m.
